


A Light in the Dark

by emorion



Series: What happens to immortals if the earth dies? [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Booker needs a hug, Character Study, Gen, booker has a crush, booker is a masochist, booker may not be as straight as you think, depressed booker, he adopts some mortals instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26073325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emorion/pseuds/emorion
Summary: It turns out that, besides his family, Booker only feels suitably challenged by Herc. They spar for fun, even after it's been decided that Booker would be teaming with Andy and Herc with Scott, and soon they begin hanging out afterwards. They talk about Jaegers and Kaiju, how they both can't wait to defend humanity and save the planet.It's nice to have someone to drink and laugh with, even if it's just a superficial acquaintance.  Within a week of this new routine, however, things change.
Series: What happens to immortals if the earth dies? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876051
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	A Light in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArkHive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArkHive/gifts).



> This takes place during chapter two of IFYTTD (part 1 of this series) and Its a gift for ArkHive, who inspired me to write this series with their amazing art!

His name is Hercules. 

Honest to God, Hercules Hanson.

Booker notices him on the first day of the acadamy, though he doesn't learn his name until two weeks later, the first time they train in the Kwoon. 

Boy, does the name suit him. 

The Australian is in his mid-thirties, tall and broad. He's muscled in a way that's obvious, though not overwhelmingly so. His red hair is cropped close to his head, his face is stubbled. 

He goes by Herc, or at least that's what his brother Scott calls him.

Herc fights dirty. He reminds Booker of himself, before his first death. It's fascinating to watch the way the man growls at his opponent before sweeping their legs out from underneath them, the controlled power in all his muscles as he brings his staff to meet his challenger's blows, the fire in his eyes as he stands victorious over his fallen adversary. 

Then there's the way he smiles afterward, wide and comforting. The way he pulls his sparring partner up and compliments their strengths, advises them on their weaknesses. He's encouraging in a way Booker was, once. Back when the only fighting he did was pretend and his opponents were half his size and all of his heart. 

When it's Booker's turn to face him, Herc wishes him luck with a calculated grin and sets into the starting position. Booker sets up, too, heart fluttering with anticipation. 

They stand facing each other for a moment before Herc swipes his left foot toward Booker's. When the pass is stopped by Booker's staff, Hercules swings his own at his opponent's shoulder, only to growl in frustration as Booker leaps backwards. 

Booker dodges another swipe by spinning to the left, bringing his staff close to his body until he's out of the way and then bringing it down hard on the back of Herc's knees. Instead of falling as expected, the man lets out a grunt and jabs Booker in the side. 

They go like that for a little over five minutes before Booker is able to swipe Herc's legs out and pin him down. He's the first to best the Australian in the class, though he's also the first of the Guard to face him. 

Herc huffs and shakes his head, but he's smiling when he congratulates Booker. 

"Finally, some competition, huh?" He jokes, low enough that only Booker can hear, and the immortal hopes he isn't blushing. 

Booker gets to challenge the younger Hanson next, and Scott is quite different than Herc. 

He fights in the same ruffian way as his brother, but where Herc is collected and civil, Scott is a loose canon. His swats are propelled by an unnecessary amount of force, he hits hard enough to bruise, and his movements lack fluidity. In the end, Scott's uncontrolled aggression makes it easier to beat him and Booker takes him down in less than a minute. 

Scott's eyes are filled with rage as he looks up from underneath Booker's staff. Booker feels them like a pathetic attempt at a threat until he hears throaty laughter from behind him. 

"Nice work, Booker!" Hercules booms, placing a warm hand on Booker's shoulder. "My little brother needed to be knocked a few pegs. By someone other than me, of course."

Scott shifts his venomous gaze to his brother before rolling off the ground. "I want a rematch!" He growls, spinning his staff in his hand like a show-off. 

Booker shrugs, he's game to put this sniveling bastard in his place any day. Before he can agree, however, Herc steps between him and his brother. "Actually, I feel like having another go." He says, voice light but commanding. He turns to Booker, who nods his consent, before looking back at his brother. "Alright there, Scotty?"

"Whatever." Scott snarls, stalking to a corner to slump in. 

"Sorry 'bout him." Hercules tells Booker. It sounds pretty natural, like he has to say it a lot. Booker doesn't doubt it. "Brothers, right?"

Booker thinks about Joe and Nicky, how they are the closest things to brothers he's ever had. He wonders if they see him as the Scott to their Hercules, the whiny little tag along to their strong and steady authority. 

"Right." He agrees. 

"Ah, don't judge him to harshly, though, aye mate?" Hercules whispers conspiringly. "There wasn't enough good leftover after my parents made me!" He adds before breaking into a hardy chuckle. 

Booker couldn't help laughing along. 

* 

It turns out that, besides his family, Booker only feels suitably challenged by Herc. They spar for fun, even after it's been decided that Booker would be teaming with Andy and Herc with Scott, and soon they begin hanging out afterwards. They talk about Jaegers and Kaiju, how they both can't wait to defend humanity and save the planet. 

It's nice to have someone to drink and laugh with, even if it's just a superficial acquaintance. Within a week of this new routine, however, things change. 

They are in the lounge, a plain recreational area with a billiards table and a few stools where drinking and smoking is permitted, when Scott saunters in with a kid. 

"This belong to you?" He barks, tipping his head toward the boy who looks to be around eleven or twelve. He looks strikingly similar to Herc, strong jaw and blue eyes, though his messy hair is more brown than red and his grumpy expression matches the one Scott is wearing. 

"Hey there, Chucky." Herc smiles, ruffling the boys hair. To his credit, the boy remains frowning, not cracking up once. "Booker, this is my son, Chuck. Chuck, this is Mr. Booker."

" _Bonjour,_ Chuck." Booker smiles. 

The boy, Chuck, doesn't even look his way, just scrunches his nose and huffs. "Dad, when are we going home?" He demands. 

"He ran away from his tutor, _again_." Scott tells his brother. "She found me first and yapped my ear off." 

"Now, Chuck." Herc chides, kneeling down to look at his son. "We talked about this. I'm going to learn to pilot a Jaeger and destroy those monsters. I need to be here to do that. And I need you, son. So you're going to have to be good for your tutor, or you're gonna miss me for almost half a year."

"I already miss mum!" Chuck cries out, tears running down his cheeks. "Why not just make it both of ya!" And with that, Chuck stomps out of the room. 

"Chuck!" Herc calls after his son, but his brother stops him with a hand on his shoulder. 

"Take it easy, mate." Scott says, sincere for the first time in Booker's company. "I'll talk to him first. That was a right nasty thing to say to his old man. He's just hurting." 

When Scott leaves, Herc drops himself down on a stool and takes a deep swig of his whisky straight from the bottle. 

"Sorry 'bout that." Herc sighs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "He's really a good kid."

Booker nods, staring into his own drink and connecting dots in his head with this new information.

"You can ask if you want." Herc says before taking another swig. When Booker looks up at him, he notices the man's eyes have become distant and wet. 

"What happened to him?" He asks. 

"Scissure." Herc answers. 

_Ah, that's right_. Booker remembers watching with Nicky as a Kaiju ravaged Sydney, Australia. He can still hear Nicky's frustrated cursing as the fourth monster attack claimed hundreds of lives, adding to the countless number of deaths since the creatures emerged. Both he and Nicky had been fed up by the lack of interest on the part of the world's leaders. It had stung, just as it always had, when the governments waited until thousands of innocent lives were taken before actually doing anything. Sydney was the straw that broke the camel's back this time, and it obviously cost Herc and his son everything. 

"We were told to evacuate the city." Herc continues. "I'm a pilot for the air force, you know. I was on duty." Booker can feel the pain in his voice, the regret that rumbles out with every word. "I only had an hour. Angela worked on the opposite side of Sydney, I could only reach one of them. Angela..."

Booker watches a tear as it spills over his companion's eye and rolls down his cheek. "I'm sorry, man." He says sincerely. "No one should have to make a choice like that."

"Angela would have wanted me to save Chuck." Herc says, and though his voice is wavering, his conviction is steady. "If I had saved her, it would have killed us both. I loved her, hell, still do. But I would do it again. That boy is everything to me, including the only part of her I have left."

As his friend starts to sob quietly, Booker turns his head down to give him privacy. His heart aches for this man. 

He can still remember his family.

His favorite memory is from a year before he was forced to go to war, when he was still Sebastien, watching his family from his work bench as they played outside. His wife Charlotte, with her long, dark hair blowing in the wind as she smiled at him from across the yard. Louis, his oldest and brightest son, reading on the porch, while his second son, Jacques pushed Jean-Pierre on the swing. He can still hear their laughter, dancing delightfully in his head. 

Though with these happy memories always come the horrible. He remembers the last moments he spent with Charlotte as she hacked and spat into a handkerchief, still as beautiful as the day they met but so, so frail. She used her dying breath to demand he watch over their sons. 

Next was the death of Louis, his wonderful, genius boy, only twenty six years old and on his way to becoming a doctor. He had caught pneumonia like his mother, but he couldn't stand for anyone to see him in that state. He ordered his father and his brothers to stay away. Sebastien bawled like a baby when the doctor came out and shook his head. 

Jacques was kicked by a frightened mare shortly after his thirtieth birthday. It was a present for his betrothed, a wedding that the groom's father was not invited to. 

And Jean-Pierre? Well. That was the experience that haunted him the most. It was hard to feel anything but remorse when he thought of Jean-Pierre. 

"What about you, then?" Herc sniffles, breaking Booker out of his turmoil. "You got any kids?" 

Booker smiles, politely, and shakes his head. It's not a lie, per se, and he almost doesn't hate himself everytime he tells it these days. When you're immortal, sometimes a lie is just easier than the truth. Besides, his children are long dead and he doubts they even thought of him as their father in the end. 

"Well. Maybe someday, right?" Herc says, thumping Booker on the shoulder. "Though probably not with that drift partner of yours." He adds with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. 

"What, Andy?" Booker stutters. Then he laughs. "No, no. She's like my sister!"

"Good on ya, mate!" Herc laughs back. "I was worried! She's definitely got something going with the Russians!"

Booker's halfway drunk, so he finds the notion of him and Andy appearing as a couple more hilarious than probably appropriate. He laughs and laughs until he falls out of his chair. 

Herc, who has been laughing along with him, startles and drops to his side. "You alright mate?" He asks, suddenly very serious. 

"Yes, yeah, of course." Booker grumbles, getting back to his feet.

"You are properly pissed, ain't ya?" Herc asks with an amused smile on his lips. Booker knows he's being made fun off, but he can't find it in him to be offended when the man is smiling like that. 

"I guess you better take me back to my _drift partner_." He smirks. 

Herc chuckles and considers him for a moment. "What about those other guys?" He asks, curiosity coloring his tone. 

"Who, Nicky and Joe?" Booker smiles. "They are like my brothers."

"But they definitely aren't brothers." Herc points out. 

"No, they're married." Booker feels the little prickle of anger he always gets when people talk about Nicky and Joe. He hates when people dare argue that they can't be in love, just because they are both men. "You gotta problem with that?"

"No, no!" Herc laughs, holding his hands up in surrender. "I have no problem at all, I assure you!" 

Booker smiles. "Good. Cause if you did, I would have to kick your ass!"

"Ha! I'm not afraid! I can take ya!" Herc exclaims.

They laugh again for a while, sharing glances every now and then. When the laughter dies out, Booker regards his friend solemnly. 

"You know, if there's anything I can do-"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout me, mate." Herc smiles gently. "You're a good bloke. You listening is enough."

Booker nods and downs the rest of his drink. He thinks about Chuck. The amount of survivor's guilt the kid probably feels knowing that his dad saved him over his mom has to be crushing, far more guilt than an eleven year old should have to carry. Booker knows all about survivor's guilt. 

But he doesn't see himself in Chuck, no. He sees his youngest, Jean-Pierre. His little ball of sunshine who grew up to be a whirlwind of a man. His son had to watch as his mother and brothers died far too young while his father earned not so much as a wrinkle. He remembers how Jean-Pierre's anger and frustration grew every time he visited. 

Jean-Pierre had wished his father dead several times. He threw water in his face and called him a monster. There were times he, like his oldest brother had, refused to see Sebastien. It wasn't hard to see that same hatred in Chuck, angry at his father for even getting to choose who lived and who died, helpless to have an opinion himself. 

Booker vows then and there to be a friend to not only Herc, but also his young, misguided son. He knows the risk, that these two are mortals and could very well be taken to soon as well.

But, Booker thinks, this could be exactly what he's needed all along; a chance to redeem himself for the selfish mistakes he's made in the past. 

When Herc swallows the last of his whisky and calls it a night, Booker pulls him into a tight hug. Tomorrow he'll blame it on the alcohol. Herc smiles at him when they pull away, sad and grateful, and Booker's heart swells. He smiles back before heading down the hall where his family awaits.

He won't tell them about his newfound side mission. They wouldn't allow it to happen. Joe would call him a masochist and tell him to cut ties immediately. Nicky would look at him, eyes filled with sympathy, and tell him it's for the best. And Andy, well. She'll be able to tell, but she's the most likely to understand. 

It's been a rough two hundred years for Booker, filled with sorrow and regret. He dares to hope beyond hope that he can finally make amends. That he can finally find peace.


End file.
